cover image Hannah on Her Way

Hannah on Her Way

Claudia Mills. Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, $15 (151pp) ISBN 978-0-02-767011-0

Hannah loves her dolls, her eccentric parents, her sketch pad and pencils and her cat, Hildegarde. Life is good--except for the fact that Hannah has to go to school. All the other girls think she is a baby and won't be seen near her, until popular Caitlin decides to be her friend and her comfortable world is turned on its ear. This sparkling and upbeat journal of Hannah's growing up is peopled with unique and identifiable characters making their way through the treacherous waters of fifth grade. Hannah's decision to keep precocious Caitlin as a friend while maintaining her own identity will be met with approbation from readers waiting to see what happens next to their believable heroine. In this winning, superbly crafted story, Mills accurately depicts the elusive issues on the minds of today's 10-year-olds. Ages 8-12. (May)